Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 130 /Wednesday, July 8, 1998 / Notices 37021

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.811A]

Systems-Change Projects to Expand

Employment Opportunities for

Individuals With Mental or Physical

Disabilities, or Both, Who Receive

Public Support; Notice Inviting

Applications for New Awards for Fiscal

Uear (FY) 1998

Purpose of Program: To provide

financial assistance to model

demonstration projects that stimulate

and advance systems change in order to

expand employment outcomes for

individuals with mental or physical

disabilities, or both, who are

participants in Federal, State, and local

public support programs.

Eligible Applicants: Consortiums

composed of, at a minimum, the State

vocational rehabilitation agency, the

State welfare agency, the State

educational agency, the State agency

responsible for administering the

Medicaid program, and an agency

administering an employment or

employment training program

supported by the U.S. Department of

Labor.

Deadline for Receipt of Applications:

September 3, 1998.

In order to ensure timely receipt and

processing of applications, an

application must be received on or

before the deadline date announced in

this application notice. The Secretary

will not consider an application for

funding if it is not received by the

deadline date unless the applicant can

show proof that the application was: (1)

sent by registered or certified mail not

later than five days before the deadline

date; or (2) sent by commercial carrier

not later than two days before the

deadline date. An applicant must show

proof of mailing in accordance with 34

CFR 75.102 (d) and (e). Applications

delivered by hand must be received by

4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time on the deadline

date. For the purposes of this program

competition, the Secretary does not

apply 34 CFR 74.102(b) which requires

an application to be mailed, rather than

received, by the deadline date.

Note: All applications must be received on

or before the deadline date. This requirement

takes exception to the Education Department

General Administrative Regulations

(EDGAR), 34 CFR 75.102. In accordance with

the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C.

553), it is the practice of the Secretary to offer

interested parties the opportunity to

comment on proposed regulations. However,

this amendment to EDGAR makes procedural

changes only and does not establish new

substantive policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C.

553(b)(A), proposed rulemaking is not

required.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: September 18, 1998.

Applications Available: July 8, 1998.

Available Funds: $1,000,000.

Estimated Range of Awards:

$250,000–$600,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$500,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 2.

Note: The Department is not bound by any

estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Applicable Regulations: The

Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82,

and 85.

Selection Criteria: In evaluating an

application for a new grant under this

competition, the Secretary uses

selection criteria chosen from the

general selection criteria in § 75.210 of

EDGAR. The selection criteria to be

used for this competition will be

provided in the application package for

this competition.

For Applications Contact: The Grants

and Contracts Service Team (GCST),

U.S. Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, S.W., Room

3317, Switzer Building, Washington,

D.C. 20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 205–

8351. The preferred method for

requesting applications is to FAX your

request to (202) 205–8717. Individuals

who use a telecommunications device

for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–

800–877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8

p.m., Eastern time, Monday through

Friday.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain a copy of the application package

in an alternate format by contacting the

GCST. However, the Department is not

able to reproduce in an alternate format

the standard forms included in the

application package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Pedro Romero, U.S. Department of

Education, 600 Independence Avenue,

S.W., Room 3316, Switzer Building,

Washington, D.C. 20202–2650.

Telephone: (202) 205–9797. Individuals

who use a telecommunications device

for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–

800–877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8

p.m., Eastern time, Monday through

Friday.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain this document in an alternate

format (e.g., Braille, large print,

audiotape, or computer diskette) on

request to the contact person listed in

the preceding paragraph.

Electronic Access to This Document

Anyone may view this document, as

well as all other Department of

Education documents published in the

Federal Register, in text or portable

document format (pdf) on the World

Wide Web at either of the following

sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg/htm

http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the pdf you must have the Adobe

Acrobat Reader Program with Search,

which is available free at either of the

previous sites. If you have questions

about using the pdf, call the U.S.

Government Printing Office toll free at

1–888–293–6498.

Anyone may also view these

documents in text copy only on an

electronic bulletin board of the

Department. Telephone: (202) 219–1511

or, toll free, 1–800–222–4922. The

documents are located under Option

G—Files/Announcements, Bulletins and

Press Releases.

Note: The official version of a document is

the document published in the Federal

Register.

Program Authority: Section 12(a)(3) of the

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29

U.S.C. 762(b)(3)).

Dated: July 1, 1998.

Judith E. Heumann,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services.

[FR Doc. 98–18058 Filed 7–7–98; 8:45 am]

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